Ohio State was long near the top of the long list of offers for Simeon Caldwell, but he had to get back to Columbus over the weekend to make sure he knew all he needed to with the defending national champs.
That included time with new defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, which he got while in town this time around, and the updated Buckeye pitch was plenty for the blue-chip recruit to jump on board.
Caldwell announced his commitment Thursday and told Rivals he is all but certain to be cancelling the remainder of his visits in the process.
"I talked to him a few times over the phone, but I wanted to see how I fit in their system," he said. "I really liked the plan that they have for me up there. My uncle is the DB coach up there, coach (Tim) Walton. But coach (Matt) Guerrieri, coach (Michael) Hunter, coach Patricia, I have a great relationship with all of those guys.
"I was ready to make the decision. Ohio State is home."
The versatile defender, who has safety, linebacker and nickel experience to his name at Jacksonville (Fla.) Bolles, confirmed plans to move around the defense at the collegiate level as well. He will enter the program as a safety, most likely.
"They said they'll use me in a lot of different ways," Caldwell said. "I'll be in the box against the run, they'll use me to defend the pass in coverage. A lot of different things to be able to utilize my versatility best. They're B.I.A., best in America, for a reason.
"With that being said, Ohio State is gonna be the best place for me to develop in the future and succeed at the next level."
CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2027 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
TRANSFER PORTAL: Full coverage | Player ranking | Team ranking | Transfer search | Transfer ...
